1220 by Shanghai Qiutian

Shanghai-based European math rockers Shanghai Qiutian are back at it with their single titled 1220. The song starts out with lovely dual nylon guitars and amazing snare work. Then there is a fantastic drum fill that really brings the song into full motion. The bass guitar work is not too busy and lays a nice foundation out; it fills out the bottom frequencies while not distracting from the intricate melodic guitar work and very rhythmic drums. The contrast of the electric guitar doing nice legato chords and then very staccato lines makes some nice energy shifts in the song. The acoustic parts intertwine with the electric very nicely, and trade off in being a melodic focus wonderfully. During the bridge section, there are some really interesting production sounds in the background. The humming introduces a feeling of intimate human connection without the distraction or forced meaning from lyrics. The slight change from a hum to a more open “ah” sound creates just the slightest uplift in energy as the song builds towards the end. There is also the introduction of a bright xylophone or glockenspiel that adds a little bit of hopeful sunlight to make a happy ending to the song as the guitars play the final chords.